What is the Places to Grow Act?
Sarah Oconnor
Updated on February 26, 2026
The Places to Grow Act, 2005 enables the development of regional growth plans that guide government investments and land use planning policies.
Does the place to grow plan apply to the entire province of Ontario?
Relationship with the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) The PPS provides overall policy directions on matters of provincial interest related to land use and development in Ontario, and applies to the GGH, except where this Plan or another provincial plan provides otherwise.
Where is the Golden Horseshoe area in Ontario?
Lake Ontario
The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog and Lake Simcoe.
What is the purpose of the growth plan?
What is growth planning? Growth planning incorporates infrastructure planning and investment, demographic changes, economic development, employment trends, land use planning, and population health to support the government’s vision for future communities.
What is the planning Act Ontario?
The Planning Act (the Act) is provincial legislation that sets out the ground rules for land use planning in Ontario. It describes how land uses may be controlled, and who may control them.
What is the greater horseshoe area?
3,899 mi²
Golden Horseshoe/Area
What makes up the Golden Horseshoe?
complex known as the “Golden Horseshoe” sprawls along the Lake Ontario shore from Oshawa to St. Catharines and includes greater Toronto and the port and industrial city of Hamilton. Toronto is Canada’s largest city.
Is Guelph in the Golden Horseshoe?
Ontario
Guelph/Province
Is Waterloo Region in the Golden Horseshoe?
Waterloo Regional Municipality/Province
How do you draft a growth plan?
Creating a Growth-Centric Business Plan
- Define Your Solution.
- Pinpoint Your Market(s) and Customer(s)
- Determine Your Value Proposition.
- Establish Your Goals and Objectives.
- Map Your Operations.
- Create a Clear Marketing Strategy.
- Outline Your Financials and Forecasting.
Who controls city planning?
A planning and zoning commission is a local elected or appointed government board charged with recommending to the local town or city council the boundaries of the various original zoning districts and appropriate regulations to be enforced therein and any proposed amendments thereto.
What is a place to grow?
A Place to Grow is the Ontario government’s initiative to plan for growth and development in a way that supports economic prosperity, protects the environment, and helps communities achieve a high quality of life.
What does Ontario’s ‘places to Grow’ initiative mean for Toronto?
The Ontario government’s recent planning initiative, titled Places to Grow, is intended to promote higher-density development, a lower rate of urban land absorption, and increased public transit use in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), an extended area centred on Toronto.
What is the places to Grow Act 2005?
The Places to Grow Act, 2005 enables the development of regional growth plans that guide government investments and land use planning policies.
What is the difference between urban centre and urban cluster?
Urban centre: must have a minimum of 50,000 inhabitants plus a population density of at least 1500 people per square kilometre (km 2) or density of build-up area greater than 50 percent. Urban cluster : must have a minimum of 5,000 inhabitants plus a population density of at least 300 people per square kilometre (km 2 ).
